I'm Getting Married: What Should My Bride-To-Be And Her Father Dance To?

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I'm actually doing the whole thing on a playlist, and am struggling to determine which song she and her dad should do as their first dance. He loves Patsy Cline, but all the big hits are depressing love songs or otherwise inappropriate. He also likes Gordon Lightfoot, but somehow "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" doesn't seem occasion-appropriate.

I suggested "What the World Needs Now" by Jackie DeShannon, since there'll be some other Bacharach on tap, but we're not sure he's terribly into that. Similarly, while she likes Stevie Wonder, I'm not sure he would.

Thoughts?

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 18:58 (twenty years ago)

"givin up the nappy dug out" by ice cube

― gear (gear), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:04 (twenty years ago)

Afternoon Delight

(congrats, btw)

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:04 (twenty years ago)

though actually i think there are some patsy songs that'd be okay, i can't think of names right now here

― gear (gear), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:05 (twenty years ago)

Fairport Convention - 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes' - got married a couple of weeks ago, they danced to that and it was really beautiful.

― Mr. Butch (Mr. Butch), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:07 (twenty years ago)

Hey Little One--Glen Campbell

― kornrulez6969 (TCBeing), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:15 (twenty years ago)

You are the Sunshine of my Life - Stevie Wonder

― BrianB (BrianB), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:17 (twenty years ago)

"Smack my bitch up", and get the old man some glow sticks!

― mandorf (mandorf), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:18 (twenty years ago)

Dream - Al Green

― hank (hank s), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:21 (twenty years ago)

"It's Raining Men"

― It's Rodney, chocolate-covered, freaky, and habit-forming! (R. J. Greene), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:27 (twenty years ago)

Ric-Hard: "Cum to Daddy"

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:30 (twenty years ago)

"Butterfly Kisses" or "Daughters", duh

― marc h. (marc h.), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 19:43 (twenty years ago)

Aren't there some dance covers of Gord's "If You Could Read My Mind"? I know I've heard one on the radio. "Sundown" could be cool too. As for Patsy, "Crazy" *sounds* affectionate, not depressing, and who can't relate to "I'm crazy for loving you," anyway?

― don (dow), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 20:40 (twenty years ago)

What's the other music looking like? First dance, walk down the aisle, and so on. Need an idea of the palette.

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 20:45 (twenty years ago)

"If You Could Read My Mind" is about faded love, so don't use that. How about "Softly"? Or "Rosanna"?

― NoTimeBeforeTime (Barry Bruner), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 20:49 (twenty years ago)

A good friend of mine used "Sunshine on My Shoulders" for this purpose & it went over great.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 20:52 (twenty years ago)

"Unforgettable" - Nat King Cole with daughter Natalie. Actually, that is what my husband and I danced to, but I think it works almost as well for father/daughter dance.

― Sara R-C (Sara R-C), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 20:57 (twenty years ago)

If Dad *likes* Gord, chances are he likes that song, and it's the sound, not just the words. If we're gonna worry about details, Nat sang his part from beyond the grave.

― don (dow), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 22:22 (twenty years ago)

Ebony and Ivory

― paid in cigarettes (paid in cigarettes), Wednesday, 12 July 2006 23:21 (twenty years ago)

Beatles--"I Will"
Chorus Line Cast--"What I Did For Love"

― dr. phil (josh langhoff), Thursday, 13 July 2006 00:18 (twenty years ago)

Congrats on the getting hitched!

Rainbow Connection as sung by Kermit The Frog worked fine at our wedding though we had it played for our first dance. Your taste may vary, of course, and I'm willing to bet that whatever you select will work out just hunky dory. Good luck and all.

― jim wentworth (wench), Thursday, 13 July 2006 00:43 (twenty years ago)

Congrats.

I'm getting married too. Crap, I didn't even think about this whole aspect of the music planning.

― Abbadavid Berman (Hurting), Thursday, 13 July 2006 00:46 (twenty years ago)

Willie Nelson did a real good version of "The Rainbow Connection" and then there's "Always On My Mind", and others of his. (Or what about Elvis, speaking of "Always On My Mind"?)

― don (dow), Thursday, 13 July 2006 00:48 (twenty years ago)

My wife and I had "Almost Grown" by Chuck Berry on our wedding tape. Good jitterbuggin' music.

― I will commence to drop a knowledge bomb. (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 13 July 2006 01:18 (twenty years ago)

You are making too much of this. Choose a great Patsy Cline song like "Crazy" or "Walkin After Midnight" - or whatever. As long as it's got the right beat to it, nobody's going to pay attention to the words at all. I mean unless you put Slayer in there, I guarantee the only thing people will be thinking is "AWWWWWW"

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 13 July 2006 01:31 (twenty years ago)

I'd play 12 Level 42 songs, but play them at, like, 12 times the speed, so it'd only take up the space of a normal Level 42 song, so nobody's favourite Level 42 song gets left out.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 13 July 2006 01:39 (twenty years ago)

Something off of Serge Gainsbourg's "Histoire de Melody Nelson"

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Thursday, 13 July 2006 02:04 (twenty years ago)

Ah, good suggestions, guys -- thanks! I'm digging thru some Gordo right now, and listening to "Always On My Mind" -- which is great, but kind of about letting someone down. Great stuff, tho! "I Will"'s a good suggestion, checking that out for danceability now.

Context: well, it's pretty crazy, so I don't know if that's even helpful. More than anything, I want something HE'LL like -- preferably something that's masculine but kind of stiff upper lip emotional like Gordo.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 13 July 2006 03:17 (twenty years ago)

FWIW, I'm listening to Gordo's "Something Very Special" right now -- I dunno if this is really appropriate, but this is seriously, seriously trippy and awesome, with the strings and glitchy panning acoustic guitars.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 13 July 2006 03:20 (twenty years ago)

Congrats! I actually wrote a recent story about wedding musicians and DJs, so I have a little insight into this. Here's a few:
I danced with my mom to "Someone to Watch Over Me," which would also be appropriate for a father-daughter dance. Jimmy Scott's version is my favorite, but may be a tad slow for even the slowest of slow dancing. Sinatra did a great version, too.
"The Way You Look Tonight," another Sinatra fave.
"Unforgettable," Nat King Cole
"The Most Beautiful Girl," Charlie Rich
"My Heart Belongs to Daddy," Ella Fitzgerald
"My Girl," The Temptations
"God Only Knows," Beach Boys
"Daddy's Girl," Red Sovine
"Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" is schmaltz, but it's better than a lot of wedding songs. Just go with Van Morrison, not Rod Stewart.

As for Stevie Wonder, why not "Isn't She Lovely" or 'You Are the Sunshine of My Life?"
As for Patsy Cline, "You Belong to Me" may work, but "A Church, A Courtroom, And Then Goodbye" definitely would not.

― Jim M (jmcgaw), Thursday, 13 July 2006 14:15 (twenty years ago)

maybe they've known eachother a long enough to come up with a song on their own?

― my name is john. i reside in chicago. (frankE), Thursday, 13 July 2006 14:37 (twenty years ago)

Veto Charlie Rich (lost love, innit - miserable sentiments = NOT GOOD at a wedding) also God Only Knows (any song that starts "I may not always love you..." no matter how affirming it goes on to be, is also NOT GOOD at a wedding).

Back on the Elvis tip, my husband and I had "The Wonder of You" as our first dance, which may also work as a daughter/daddy thing.

I think Unforgettable is a great answer, btw.

― ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:13 (twenty years ago)

Yes, upon a second review of the lyrics, forget what I said about Charlie Rich and the Beach Boys.

― Jim M (jmcgaw), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:36 (twenty years ago)

"Daddy's Girl" by Red Sovine is all about how he really wanted a boy!!!

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:46 (twenty years ago)

The Association - "Never My Love"

― zaxxon25 (zaxxon25), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:50 (twenty years ago)

"Somethin' Stupid"

― Zwan (miccio), Thursday, 13 July 2006 15:51 (twenty years ago)

Joe Cocker - You Are So Beautiful

― jim wentworth (wench), Thursday, 13 July 2006 23:43 (twenty years ago)

i oughtta make my dad dance to kraftwerk.

― Kim (Kim), Friday, 14 July 2006 00:49 (twenty years ago)

"Somethin' Stupid" would go over about as nicely as "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be."

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Friday, 14 July 2006 01:14 (twenty years ago)

Elton John - Your Song, wouldn't be the worst.

― Kim (Kim), Friday, 14 July 2006 01:27 (twenty years ago)

two years pass...

got hella matrimonied saturday! dad-in-law and wifey danced to 'michelle' as it is her namesake, but our first dance was to 'mother popcorn', so it was the best wedding dance for all times.

― al gore rhythm nation (m bison), Tuesday, 23 September 2008 01:25 (seventeen years ago)

Awesome, congrats...

― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 23 September 2008 01:52 (seventeen years ago)

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